For many years the Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) has been working to ensure greater equity in its grantmaking and recently began transitioning to a trust-based grant model.

As CMF has reported, in response to the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice happening across the country, KZCF implemented new practices within their grantmaking process. 

KZCF began applying the new practices in early 2020 including reducing paperwork and converting grants to support their partners’ greatest needs. 

To ensure increased transparency on their grantmaking process, KZCF created a Grantmaking Guide for their current partners and those looking to partner with the community foundation. 

The guide outlines how KZCF makes funding decisions, how to overcome obstacles to funding and what partners can expect after receiving a grant. 

“Our Grantmaking Guide is just one way we are responding to our partners’ request for more transparency when it comes to our funding process, priorities and how decisions are made,” Sandy Barry-Loken, vice president of grants at KZCF told CMF.

To best serve their grantmaking priorities, KZCF partners with and prioritizes funding for organizations who pursue inclusivity and accessibility, center people and communities of color, collaborate to achieve shared outcomes and are committed to learning and growth.  

Some questions KZCF asks when reviewing grant requests:

•    Does this request demonstrate a strong commitment to racial equity?

•    Is the program or organization accessible to people with multiple oppressed identities including intersections of race, ethnicity, economic status, immigration status, LGBTQ+ identify and disability?

•    Does this request demonstrate lasting change for communities experiencing racial bias and discrimination?

•    Does the organization demonstrate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) competencies at the leadership level?

•    Are multiple identities and perspectives present to lead the work?
 

KZCF also shared some reasons requests do not advance further in the process:

•    The people and communities most impacted are not involved in significantly informing the work. 

•    Partnerships and collaborations that could strengthen the request are underdeveloped. 

•    The organization does not have a demonstrated commitment to advancing DEI. 

Included in the guide are step-by-step directions on how nonprofit partners can  apply through their updated grantmaking process. KZCF simplified the application to a single Letter of Inquiry only to inform funding decisions rather than requiring a full application.

When the application is approved and an organization is selected for funding, KZCF’s newly streamlined reflection process begins. The final reporting process is an informal one-hour conversation between the selected organization and a KZCF community investment liaison. 

The community investment liaison guides the conversation by asking questions like: 

•    What successes and challenges has your organization experienced over the past year while implementing this program/project?

•    What have you learned, and how are you incorporating learnings into your work going forward?

•    How could KZCF better support your wok moving forward?

This process replaces a formal written report that KZCF has used in the past, with the goal to reduce the amount of time, stress and paperwork their partners shoulder during the reporting process. 

“We hope this clarity deepens our current relationships and attracts even more partners who align with our vision of making Kalamazoo County the most equitable place to live,” Barry-Loken said. 

Want more?

Read the full KZCF Grantmaking Guide.

Learn more about KZCF’s trust-based philanthropy journey.